


All I'll Do For You

by Katyakora



Series: Coldwestallen Week [9]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: ColdWestAllen Week, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Leonard is insecure, Mild Angst, Multi, cake!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-28 23:04:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10841313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katyakora/pseuds/Katyakora
Summary: Leonard has been keeping something from his partners.





	All I'll Do For You

**Author's Note:**

> ColdWestAllen Week Spring 2017 Day 2: Pride
> 
> Set in my Cold Truth universe, because I miss it.
> 
> Special thanks to pansexual-fandom-queen for helping my tired brain think of something.

As much as Leonard loved Iris and Barry, there were times when just thinking about them was painful. They were so young and vibrant, with their whole lives stretched out ahead of them. And yet they had chosen to bind themselves to him indefinitely, to make him a central part of their lives despite the grey in his hair and the scars he carried, both physical and intangible. Sometimes that thought elevated him, awestruck by the proof that he wasn’t the irredeemable bastard his father had made. At other times, he shuddered to think that he could be tainting them somehow, that just by being with them he was dragging them down closer to his level. Intellectually, he knew that the reality was not quite as dramatic as his wayward thoughts made it out to be, but that didn’t stop the little voice in the back of his mind telling him that he needed to be better if he ever wanted to be worthy of them.

 

One might argue that sacrificing one’s self to free time itself would be enough, but a part of Leonard still felt like he didn’t measure up. That was why he was doing this. He wanted to be better for them, to be someone he thought they could be proud of.

 

But that didn’t mean he wanted anyone to _know_.

 

Leonard trudged down the hallway to the apartment he was currently staying in, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted, despite the fact that he’d been sitting most of the day. He had a cramp in his hand and a crick in his neck and tired eyes. Although the worst part was that it had actually been easier than he’d anticipated and most of his preparation hadn’t even been necessary. All of those long hours could have been spent with his young lovers rather than alone, hunched over a table making himself dizzy with information. But it was all over now, out of his hands, and all he wanted to do was collapse into his bed for several hours and then see if his partners still wanted to see him after how distant he’d been lately. It had been necessary, but he’d hated hiding this from them all the same.

 

He reached his door and paused. This building was quiet, that was why he’d chosen it. But he could distinctly hear distant music, and it seemed to be coming from his own, supposedly empty, apartment. Suspicious, Leonard tried the handle, finding it unlocked. He slipped inside, padding slowly on silent feet towards the source of the noise. He was no more than a few feet down the hall when he recognised the voices coming from his kitchen.

 

“-arry, this isn’t working. Are you sure you did it right?”

 

“Yes, I followed the method exactly. Careful, it’s running!”

 

“Everything is running! I told you it was too much.”

 

“You said the same thing about the baking powder.”

 

“Dammit! I knew we should have just bought the pre-made stuff.”

 

Leonard came to the entryway of the kitchen and stopped in his tracks. Barry and Iris were hunched over the counter, their backs to him. There was flour on their clothes and in Iris’s hair, the surrounding counter was covered in bowls and various ingredients and the warm smell of fresh baking hung in the air. They’d turned up the stereo so the sweet voice of Sam Cooke urging them to bring it on home drifted from the living room. As confused as he was to find them there, the whole tableau made his heart ache with fondness, and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he leaned against the entryway and waited for them to notice him.

 

Iris turned to grab something from a drawer and gave a little startled yelp at the sight of him. Barry looked around at the sound and froze, a deer in the headlights. Now that they’d shifted, Leonard could see what they’d been hunched over.

 

It was a cake. It was lopsided and uneven, the white homemade frosting too runny and dripping down the sides. The blue message of ‘Well Done, Len!’ that had been painstakingly piped across the top was slowly sliding down towards the lower end. Leonard’s smile dropped as his lips parted in surprise.

 

“Um...hi!” Iris greeted him brightly, shoving the piping bag behind her back as though there was any chance he might have missed her holding it.

 

“You’re back!” Barry stated just as brightly, a little too loud. Clearly they hadn’t been expecting him so soon. Which begged the question as to how they knew he would be out at all. “We, uh, well, it was supposed to be a surprise.”

 

“Oh, I’m surprised,” Leonard responded slowly, his eyes still on that ridiculous cake. He knew from experience that if it wasn’t a brownie, nothing Iris made ever managed to rise and Barry seemed incapable of not burning his baking, so the creation before him was in fact a grand achievement that was a testament to their teamwork.

 

“We baked you a cake,” Iris announced unnecessarily. The pair of them turned and each grabbed an end of the tray, moving the cake to the centre island, presenting it to Leonard with matching proud grins.

 

“The frosting hasn’t set yet,” Barry said apologetically.

 

“And the decorations aren’t finished,” Iris added.

 

“I see,” Leonard drawled, still unsure as to why they’d taken it upon themselves to bake for him. “Why?”

 

Barry and Iris shared a look.

 

“We know you’ve been working really hard lately,” Iris began. Leonard’s eyes widened as he realised what she was implying.

 

“And we understand that this is something you felt you had to do on your own,” Barry added hastily.

 

“But now that it’s done, we wanted to celebrate with you.”

 

“We wanted to show you how proud of you we are for taking this step.”

 

“So we decided to match your hard work with a little of our own,” Iris finished, gesturing to their cake.

 

“I wasn’t allowed to use any speed,” Barry added with just the barest hint of petulance.

 

Leonard wet his lips, trying to ignore the sickening clench in his gut. “You knew.”

 

They both nodded guiltily.

 

“We were worried,” Iris said.

 

“So you snooped,” Leonard accused, his eyes narrowing.

 

“Len, the last time you needed help, and I mean really needed help, you refused to ask for it,” Barry pointed out, his voice firm. “We just wanted to make sure you weren’t in a situation like that again. We were worried and we wanted to help.”

 

“But you didn’t need our help,” Iris added, smiling at him. “You were just being proud and stubborn. We were happy to step back and give you space because you were doing something amazing.”

 

Leonard felt heat rise in his cheeks at her words.

 

“It’s just the GED, it’s really not a big deal,” he muttered, looking down. He didn’t see them move around the counter, but he did feel them embrace him from either side, enveloping him in their arms and their love, heedless of the flour on their clothes.

 

“Yeah, it is,” Barry argued plainly, his chin resting on Leonard’s shoulder.

 

“We know what this means to you, Len,” Iris added, nuzzling her head against him. “And we are so proud of you.”

 

Leonard felt almost overwhelmed by the warmth and affection bubbling up inside him. He wasn’t even aware of how big his smile was as he slipped an arm around each of their waists, trying to silently express how much their support meant to him. They both hummed happily, tightening their own arms around him in response.

 

“And I’m proud of you for making a cake that is neither flat nor crispy,” Leonard croaked, hoping they would take the cue to ignore the emotion making his voice rough. They both laughed, neither letting go.

 

“I know, right?” Iris giggled. “Although there were some close calls.”

 

“We tried a bit, and it’s actually good!” Barry informed him excitedly.

 

“I bet it is,” Leonard assured him, “but why don’t we let it set first?” He led them out of the kitchen and into the living room and pulled them down onto the sofa with him, both of them immediately snuggling against him as they got comfortable. Barry grabbed the remote and they settled in to watch something familiar and heartwarming as Leonard let himself wind down from all the tension and anxiety of the last few weeks.

 

“Thank you,” he said softly, pressing a soft kiss to each of their heads. The little voice of self-doubt and inadequacy was silent. It didn’t matter if he didn’t always measure up, because Barry and Iris were proud of him just for making the effort.

**Author's Note:**

> Is fluffy and domestic but I like it.


End file.
